What is a high quality poop for a dog? Surprising Answer

How to improve your dog’s poops

The main thing to bear in mind when it comes to your dogs poop is that its directly influenced by their diet. So start off by looking for a dog food that is designed to promote good digestion.

Our range of dog food (and cat food) is designed to be good for the gut, packed with gut-friendly ingredients like Slippery Elm and probiotics – the key to the perfect poop! Probiotics are living bacteria, that feed off prebiotics, and play a role in nearly all your pooches bodily functions. Playing a role in everything from their pretty poops, to feeling happy and doing zoomiess! Our whole range is also hypoallergenic, with grain free, single-source protein and limited ingredient options for the most sensitive tums.

If you do decide to transition onto a new food, make sure to do very gradually. A period of around 2 weeks should be enough for adults, but it could take even longer for pups. You can do this by gradually increasing the portion of your new food to their old food. During this transition its normal to see some changes in stools or flatulence. However, these should subside as they settle on their new, tasty food!

Regular exercise, a stress-free environment and the right diet should all keep your pooch’s digestion running smoothly and save you from cleaning up even messier messes!

For more tips and guidance on being the best pawrent, head over to our Facebook or Instagram page and share your favourite pet stories with us!

When to be Alarmed by Your Pet’s Poop

Again, the four Cs of pet poop can help you determine when your dog may be sick. Although it may not be pleasant, observing your dogs stool while it is fresh is the easiest time to catch irregularities.

Content Concerns

Worms: These could be long and skinny or look like little pieces of rice. Again, you should only be concerned if these appear in the fresh sample. If stool sits outside for a while, worms may find their way to it.

Fur: Big clumps of fur in the stool could be a sign of over grooming, allergies, or skin disease. Keep an eye on how often you are seeing fur in the stool and discuss it with your vet.

Foreign materials: Grass, plastic, rocks, cloth and even money can sometimes be found in your dogs stool, after all dogs can sometimes ingest some odd things. Although what goes in often comes out, if you notice strange items in your dogs stool, you may want to call your vet to confirm whether they want to do a thorough check or X-ray. In some cases, dogs have gotten foreign objects stuck in their digestive tract and they need to have them surgically removed. This is why it is best to call your vet immediately if you notice bits of cloth or plastic in your dogs poop.

Coating Clues

If youre picking up your pets stool off the grass, there shouldnt be any sort of trail left behind. A coating of mucus often accompanies large bowel inflammation and usually occurs concurrently with diarrhea. If you notice this mucus in your dogs stool for more than one day, you should contact your vet to gauge your next steps.

Color Key

Below is a simple guide of what healthy dog poop looks like vs. unhealthy based on color.

Brown: A healthy pups bowel movements should be chocolate brown in color.

Green: Green stool could indicate that your dog is eating grass, perhaps to soothe an upset stomach.

Black or maroon: This could be a sign of bleeding in the stomach or the small intestines.

Red streaks: This is another sign of bleeding, probably in the lower gastrointestinal tract or colon.

Yellow: Yellow stool could mean problems with the liver, pancreas or gallbladder.

White spots: Your pup might have worms if you notice small white spots in their stool.

Consistency

When evaluating the consistency of stool, most vets use a scale from one to five, one being very runny or liquid and five being firm and cylindrical in shape. Appropriately, the optimal consistency falls at a number five on the scale. However, if your dogs stool is a little loose, dont get alarmed. Just monitor your dogs poop to see if it keeps getting softer and softer, and keep samples refrigerated in case you do need to take them to the vet.

Its important to take healthy stool samples to wellness visits for your pet, so that if your pet does start to show signs of an unhealthy stool, your vet has some past records to compare it to. If your dog is experiencing what seems to be healthy stools, but has other signs of illness (not eating, vomiting, lethargy, etc.), it is still a good idea to take a stool sample anytime you need to take your pet to the vet. Many times, bits of information can be discovered by putting the stool sample under a microscope or running other tests.

How Do I Take a Poop Sample to My Vet?

Although the veterinary staff may be able to obtain a fecal sample for analysis at the animal hospital, it is always more comfortable for the pets and easier for everyone when pet parents bring in a sample with them to the veterinary hospital.

Obtain a fresh sample (the fresher the better) and place in a clean bag.

If the stool is runny, try and use a clean stick or spoon to pick it up and place in a clean bag.

It is best to bring the sample in immediately to your veterinarian.

If you cannot bring the sample in immediately, it can be refrigerated for no more than 2 days.

Dog Poop Color Chart: What It All Means